Posts Tagged ‘Pop Culture’

Normal engagement photos? Where we’re going, we don’t need normal engagement photos. After Alec popped the question with a “Halloween”-themed proposal in honor of Katherine’s favorite movie, it was decided that their engagement photos would honor his. The epic announcement beautifully recreates the poster for the original “Back to the Future.” Photographer Ricky Middlesworth nailed all of the details (and it doesn’t hurt that the groom-to-be bears a strong resemblance to Michael J. Fox circa 1985). All in all, it’s a great showcase on how couples can incorporate their interests into the wedding in fun and creative ways.

We recently shared a video featuring one couple’s amazing Big Lebowski-themed wedding. After watching it a dozen times, we were left in awe. In a quest to learn more about their inspiration and planning, we tracked down the newlyweds (Jesse + Chelsea). We found them in North Hollywood on Radford, near the In-and-Out Burger and asked them the following questions:

The Big Lebowski obviously holds a special place in your hearts. Were you both fans of the film from the beginning or was it an acquired taste?

Chelsea: Not particularly. I hadn’t seen The Big Lebowski until I met Jesse. The first time we watched it, I didn’t exactly get it. I obviously liked the guy though, so I secretly watched it by myself to get in his good graces. I ended up loving it and have now seen it more times than I can count.

Jesse: I remember when The Big Lebowski came out in theaters, I wanted to go see it but never got around to it. When it came out on DVD around 1999, I watched it at a friend’s house, loved it and went out and bought it for myself after that viewing. So yeah, I guess you could say I loved the film from the beginning. I love the movie so much, before I met Chelsea I used to go to bed watching it as I fell asleep every night for about a year. I’d leave the movie on repeat so it would still be playing when I woke up in the morning. That really upped my ability to quote the film.

Who first had the idea for the Lebowski-themed wedding?

Chelsea: Jesse will probably say he did, but if we’re being honest, I said it first. I was skimming through Etsy and found some save the dates; they had a pair of wayfarer sunglasses and text that said “The dude proposes, and the dudette abides.” I asked him, “What if we had a Big Lebowski-themed wedding?” I knew as soon as I said it, I would never get out of it.

Jesse: Chelsea and I were trying to decide what to do for our wedding one night and we both don’t like to do things in a normal, predictable fashion. We knew it would not be a stock wedding, but we didn’t know what we wanted to do and we were trying to figure it out. I remember sitting on the couch and Chelsea said ‘What if we did a Big Lebowski-themed wedding?’ and I immediately sat up and said ‘That sounds amazing. Are you sure?’ She said ‘yes’ and I said ‘let’s do it!’ We instantly had ideas on rugs on the bowling lanes and getting married out on them, drinking White Russians, the neon star-burst signs, all of it. We wanted to go all out and pay as much homage to the movie as possible, and I think we succeeded 110 percent. It was an amazing day.

This was a wedding unlike anything most people have ever seen. Did your friends and family get it?

Chelsea: For those who got it, they really got it. We put in a lot of details, quotes, songs, apparel and decor that only a true Achiever would understand. I shouldn’t be, but I’m still a bit surprised at how many of my friends and family hadn’t seen the movie and had to watch it before the wedding. I mean, you can’t really go to a Big Lebowski wedding without, in fact, watching The Big Lebowski.

Jesse: My friends and I quote The Big Lebowski all the time so when I told them what our wedding theme was they were very excited. My family is pretty cool and they all also knew how much I loved The Big Lebowski, so while they may not all know the movie inside and out like a hardcore Lebowski fan would, they all understood where we were coming from as far as creating a themed wedding based on The Big Lebowski. Friends and family were all very supportive and helpful in bringing our Big Lebowski wedding to fruition and I’m very grateful for their support.

If you could have one character from The Big Lebowski (besides the Dude) give a toast at your wedding, who would it be?

Chelsea: The Stranger. His simple, but eloquent outlook on life would have definitely provided some interesting marriage advice.

Jesse: The Stranger. I’d love to hear what advice the wise cowboy sage would have to offer.

What’s the best reaction you’ve received to your wedding photos + video online?

Chelsea: I’m a social media junkie, so I love reading comments and positive feedback from people I’ve never met. It’s really interesting to see how our story has been shared on various sites throughout the world. A few people have even said ‘I wish I was friends with these people.’ Far out, man.

Jesse: I posted a few photos and our wedding trailer video on the /r/lebowski subreddit and one comment said: ‘Man I’m super jealous! That’s my dream wedding but my SO won’t allow me to go to that extent with it I’m happy for you guys though, it looks like you guys had an amazing time! Congrats! And you have a gorgeous special lady there man, props!’

It makes me smile quite a bit. Chelsea came up with some great ideas for the wedding and used her creative skills to help make the star-burst props with me and she made the MCNEW sign you see hanging above then lanes. Chelsea and I wanted to be as detail-oriented as possible because a Big Lebowski-themed wedding is not something you do half-assed; it’s all or nothing. We put blood, sweat and tears in to it–literally. Of course, in our planning, we were able to call watching the movie over and over nightly ‘wedding research,’ so that was awesome!

Settle this once and for all for us: Is Donnie real?

Chelsea: Definitely.

Jesse: Is Donnie real? Does the Pope shit in the woods?

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You can view more photos from the wedding here. Also, check out their website and Facebook page for even more Lebowski awesomeness.

What do you think the most creative part of Jesse + Chelsea’s Big Lebowski wedding was? Drop us a comment below and let us know.

Sometimes there’s a groom… I won’t say a hero, ’cause, what’s a hero? But sometimes, there’s a groom. And I’m talkin’ about the Dude here. Sometimes, there’s a groom, well, he’s the groom for his time and place. He fits right in there.

If that paragraph makes sense to you, you just might enjoy this video:

The Dude in the video is Jesse and his bride is Chelsea. You can view photos from their Big Lebowski wedding on their Facebook page. Be sure to leave a comment and let them know how that rug really tied the reception together.

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What movie would you theme your wedding after? Drop us a line in the comments and let us know.

If you’re familiar with the “slap bet” made famous in the TV show “How I Met Your Mother,” this one’s for you. (If you’re not, Google it immediately. We’ll wait.)

Exactly how do weddings and slap bets go together, you might be asking yourself? Well, they don’t — usually. And while we can’t condone this kind of behavior during such an important life event, like, you know, a wedding ceremony, we do recommend that it take place during the bachelor party, while tailgating or at any other slightly more appropriate occasion. That said; this is still pretty hilarious:

Mr. Frostings: Having talked with DeAnna throughout the process, I was surprised how calm she was. Your support obviously was a big help. Your groomsmen put on a great show for the reception. I laughed until I cried. How did that come about?

Stephen Stagliano: Hahahaha! Yes they did! In my humbled and biased opinion, I believe I had the best groomsmen in the history of weddings! The dance actually came about from a high school tradition that my brother and I were involved in US Funk Mob. As the last act of of our high school’s talent show, a group of upper-classmen performed this kind of dance for over 20 years. The group starts out wearing the same baggy track suit with everyone having specific costumes on underneath. The act opens with a group dance, but two or three members duck out in the middle to change in to their costumes. When the music changes, the two come back out to perform their dance (typically always something funny…ballerinas, Mario bros, tap dance etc.) while the rest of the group does something small together in the background. Then the two join back in with the group for another group dance and two more shuffle out to go change and start the process again. For years it blew the roof off every night so Michael and I decided to incorporate it in my wedding….mind bomb…BOOM.

MrF: Here is the video, folks. Remember this was a surprise to everyone, including the amazing folks at Imagique Weddings.

Ok Stephen, ready for the lightning round? How many seasons of the Bachelor/Bachelorette have you actually watched?

SS: I have watched Jillian’s (obviously), Jake’s, Allie’s, Brad’s, and Ashely’s and night one of DeAnna’s season. I also watched two of her hometown dates to see what we were into for Michael’s hometown on Jill’s season.

So I have seen 5-3/10ths of the Bachelor/Bachelorette!

MrF: Your favorite DeAnna look: red carpet or grungy sweats/t-shirt?

SS: Oh man, I honestly think she is the most beautiful woman in the world. Yes she cleans up well for the red carpet, but I have to go with the sweats and t-shirt when we are alone together in our apartment.

MrF: Worst meal DeAnna has cooked?

SS: I honestly can’t think of one. She is a really good cook!

MrF: Which Pappas family member you would chose for a cross country road trip?

SS: Okay, okay…I honestly really liked Jillian. She fit right in with our family and her and Michael really did seem to have something. I hope there is still something there between those two!

MrF: Your three favorite movies?

SS: The Matrix, Saving Private Ryan, Tommy Boy

MrF: Have you ever considered being on the Wipe Out TV show? You would be awesome.

SS: OMG…everyday! I would LOVE To be on Wipeout and/or Ninja Warrior. Let’s face it, they are the same show…

MrF: I understand you and your brother design board games. What was your favorite one?

SS: We do! Super nerdy, but very fun! My favorite game is called Spritual Warfare. The concept actually came from a series at our church about the supernatural that was awesome! It has a very unique game mechanic that combines elements from D&D, Ticket to Ride, and Settlers of Catan. We have prototyped the game and are hoping to have it published soon.

Ok, one for you Mr. Frostings! How many seasons of the Bachelor/ette have you watched?

MrF: I have watched every single season of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, plus both seasons of Bachelor Pad. I guess its safe to say, I’m a fan.

When the first season started, I was going through a painful divorce and needed to see the romance and that love could work. It turns out that the show has not produced many successes with the final two. But, it’s the POSSIBILITY of finding true love that keeps me coming back. The show has changed since people have learned that it might be a stepping-stone to some sort of entertainment career. But, I think the casting is clever and the show does know what works. Every season is filled with great characters. The dream may have died, but the train wreck continues!

I want to thank Stephen for taking the time to hang out with me and talk about his life, love and marriage. Thanks also to the amazing Brian Callaway at Callaway Gable for his beautiful photos and Daniel Boswell at Imagique for his awesome video. Special thanks to DeAnna Pappas Stagliano for sharing her husband with me for a short time!